title: Age, sex, and secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease in everyday practice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many researchers have studied age- and sex-related differences in the management of patients with coronary artery disease. However, the results are inconsistent.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess sex- and age-related bias in the secondary prevention in patients hospitalised due to ischaemic heart disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hospitals with departments of cardiology serving a city and surrounding districts in southern Poland participated in the study. Consecutive patients hospitalised from 1 April 2005 to 31 July 2006 due to acute coronary syndrome or for a myocardial revascularisation procedure and aged ≤ 80 years were recruited and interviewed 6-18 months after hospitalisation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The hospital records of 640 patients were reviewed and 513 (80.2%) patients participated in the follow-up interview. Women were older and less educated than their male counterparts. Sex was not independently associated with the control of major risk factors in the post-discharge period, whereas age was related to a higher probability of having high blood pressure and a lower chance of smoking. Multivariate analysis showed that females were prescribed calcium antagonists (odds ratio [OR] 2.13; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.34-3.39) and diuretics (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.00-2.31) more often than males. Age was independently related to the prescription rate of diuretics (≥ 70 years vs. < 60 years; OR 1.61; 95% CI 1.19-2.20). The prescription rate of antiplatelets, beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitors/sartans, lipid-lowering drugs, and anticoagulants was not related to age or sex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found no major sex-related difference in the frequency of achieving recommended goals in secondary prevention, whereas age was related to a lower prevalence of smoking and a higher probability of having high blood pressure in subjects after hospitalisation for coronary artery disease.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Cardiology and Hypertension, Institute of Cardiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland. piotrjankowski@interia.pl.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jankowski
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Czarnecka
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wolfshaut-Wolak
authors.forename: Radosław
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Łysek
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Łukaszewska
authors.forename: Sławomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Surowiec
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loster
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bogacki
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bryniarska-Mirek
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grodecki
authors.forename: Jadwiga
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nessler
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Podolec
authors.forename: Kalina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawecka-Jaszcz
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pająk
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000601:surgery; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055502:Secondary Prevention / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology